Red-crowned cranes live mostly on the snowy island of Hokkaido in northern Japan. They walk slowly through marshes looking for fish, frogs and small water creatures. In winter, the cold air freezes the marshes, so the cranes gather where warm streams keep the water open.
Cranes are famous for their dance. When a pair likes each other, they do a courtship dance together - jumping, bowing, flapping their huge wings and tossing twigs into the air. Crane pairs often stay together their whole lives. They greet each other with their dance each spring.
In Japanese tradition, the crane has long been a sign of good fortune. There is an old folk story that anyone who folds 1,000 paper cranes (origami cranes) will be granted a wish. Even today, in Japan, children fold strings of paper cranes to give as get-well-soon presents.
Red-crowned cranes are rare. Long ago there were only about 20 left in Japan. Today, thanks to people protecting their marshes and feeding them in deep winter, there are around 1,800. Many fly between Japan, China and Korea - they don't notice borders, just where the food is.